Device for protecting blast furnace linings



June 195 J. A, S A

DEVICE FOR PROTECTING BLAST FURNACE LININGS Filed Dec. 3, 1952 2 Sheets-S l H l, liifillllmiJuli!!!" lllll llllllllllllll lllill MilililHl llll mumwn June 14, 1955 J. A. SHEA 2,710,747

DEVICE FOR PROTECTING BLAST FURNACE LININGS United States Patent DEVICE FOR PROTECTING BLAST FURNACE LININGS James A. Shea, Gary, Ind., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Application December 3, 1952, Serial No. 323,892

6 Claims. (Cl. 266-25) This invention relates to an improved device for protecting blast furnace linings fromdamage at the stock line.

Blast furnaces are equipped with a hopper and a large bell which are located at the top of the furnace and through which the furnace is charged. The bell deflects out of the lining, since the plates are laid integrally with the brickwork, and the plates unduly add to the furnace weight.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved protective device which overcomes the foregoing disadvantages, that is, one which is easier to install and remove and is of lighter weight.

A more specific object is to provide an improved protective device which includes a plurality of interconnected light weight grids which are freely suspended over the stock line and are adapted on heating to expand into tight engagement with the furnace lining.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, a preferred form of which is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of a blast furnace which is equipped with an improved protective device embodying features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view on a larger scale 7 taken on line II-II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of two of the grids and portions of two others;

Figure 4 is a schematic side elevational view, partly in section, and on a larger scale, showing the arrangement of bars and connectors in the grid sections; and

Figure 5 is a side elevational view on a larger scale showing the connection between adjacent sections.

Figure 1 shows the upper portion of a typical blast furnace which includes an outer shell 10, a lining 12 of refractory brickwork, a ring 13 at the top,'a hopper 14 supported from said ring, and a large bell 15 within said hopper. Material M to be charged to the furnace is introduced to the hopper through a small bell not shown. Subsequently the large bell is lowered and the material thus drops downwardly into the furnace. The bell deflects this material outwardly and it tends to strike the lining in the region of the stock line indicated at L.

In accordance with the present invention, the upper interior of the furnace carries a plurality of brackets 16 suitably supported from the furnace framework. A plurality of grid sections of two types 17 and 17a are sus- Cir 2,710,747 Patented June 14, 1955 pended from said brackets and extend over the stock line L. Successive grid sections around the furnace are of the opposite type, as hereinafter explained. Each grid section 17 and 17a includes a number of elongated steel hangers 18 and 18a respectively which are bolted to the brackets 16.

Each grid section 17 and 17a comprises a plurality of spaced apart vertically extending steel bars 19, shown as fourteen in number, although of course the exact number can vary. In the grid sections 17 each bar 19 hasan opening 20 near its upper end, an opening 21 near its lower end, but spaced farther from the end than the opening 20, and an opening 22 close to but offset from its longitudinal center. The bars are connected to one another by three bolts 23 which are inserted through the openings 20, 21, and 22 and are curved to conform with the curvature of the inside of the furnace (Figure 2). The hangers 18 are connected to the top bolt 23, being sandwiched between certain of the adjacent bars 19. Except where these hangers are connected, spacers 24 are interposed on each of the three bolts 23 between each pair of adjacent bars 19.

Each grid section 17a differs from each grid section 17 only in that it is in effect inverted with respect thereto.

- The bars 19 of the sections 17a are identical with those of the sections 17, but inverted so that their openings 21 are near the upper end and their openings 20 near the lower end. The bolts 23 and spacers 24 of the sections 17a also are the same as in sections 17. The hangers 18a of the sections 17a are a little longer than the hangers 18 of the sections 17, since they are connected to the bolts 23 at a lower level.

Each grid section 17 is joined to the adjacent section 17a by bolts 25, which pass through openings in the outermost bars 19 of each section (Figure 5). Spacers 26, which are similar to the spacers 24, are interposed between the sections on each bolt 25. It is seen that the inverted relation of adjacent sections places the bolts 23 of adjacent sections at different levels. The resulting staggered relation of these bolts allows the assembly on heating to expand into tight engagement with the furnace walls without interference from the bolts 23.

From the foregoing description it is seen that the present invention atfords a nonintegral protective device which is suspended over the furnace stock line. When the large bell deflects material outwardly, such material strikes the grid sections which are rigidly held against the brickwork by the circumferential expansion of the assembly and the flexing of the bars at the joints between sections. Consequently the refractory brickwork does not receive the resulting abrasion. The grids are of light weight simple construction readily installed on existing blast furnaces, and when worn can easily be replaced.

While I have shown and described only a single embodiment of the invention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a blast furnace which has a refractory lining and a hopper and large bell for charging material thereto, the combination with said lining of a protective device for the region of the stock line comprising support means inside the furnace above the stock line, and a plurality of grid sections attached to said support means and extending downwardly therefrom free of said lining and being situated side by side to cover the lining in the region of the stock line around the inner circumference of the furnace.

2. In a blast furnace which has a refractory lining and a hopper and large bell for charging material thereto, the combination with said lining of a protective detically extending bars, bolts interconnecting said bars and.

to which said hangers are connected, and spacers between said bars, said grid sections being situated over said lining in side-by-side relation around the inner circumference of the furnace.

3. In a blast furnace which has a refractory lining and a hopper and large bell for charging material thereto, the combination with said lining of a protective device for the region of the stock line comprising support means inside the furnace above the stock line, and a plurality of grid sections, each of which includes hangers suspended from said support means, a plurality of vertically extending bars, bolts curved to conform with the inside curvature of the furnace interconnecting said bars, said hangers being sandwiched between certain of the bars of each section and connected to the uppermost of its bolts, and spacers on the bolts between the bars except when said hangers are connected, said grid sections being situated over said lining in side-by-side relation around the inner circumference of the furnace.

4. A combination as defined in claim 3 in which the bolts of adjacent grid sections are in vertically staggered relation to allow free expansion of the sections.

5. A combination as defined in claim 3 in which each grid section has top, central and bottom bolts and the sections are of two types which differ in that the bolts are at different levels, successive grid sections around the circumference being of the opposite type so that the bolts are in vertically staggered relation.

6. A combination as defined in claim 3 in which each grid section has top, central and bottom bolts and the vertically extending bars of all the sections contain similarly positioned openings for said bolts, the two openings in each bar for the top and bottom bolts being spaced from the respective ends by different distances and the opening for the central bolt being spaced from the longitudinal center of each bar, the bars of successive grid sections around the circumference being inverted with respect to each other to place their bolts at different levels and thus to allow free expansion of the sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 273,742 Kent Mar. 13, 1883 627,545 Suppes June 27, 1899 1,792,614 Stern Feb. 17, 1931 2,486,348 Wehr Oct. 25, 1949 

